Her life is a real-page turner

May 2, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Kristin Bryant, who was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer in February, recently finished her debut novel "The Others" and is scheduled to release the book in August by Sourced Media Books. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Kristin Bryant, who was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer in February, recently finished her debut novel "The Others" and is scheduled to release the book in August by Sourced Media Books. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

'The Others'

The emails trickled into Kristin Bryant's inbox, all with similar variations of the same word:

No.

More than a dozen of the rejection letters were sent to the La Habra resident, an aspiring novelist seeking a publisher for her manuscript – a science fiction saga about love, bravery, persistence and the power of faith.

The idea for the novel came one day while she was folding laundry. The 32-year-old mother of two worked for two years to develop that idea into a novel. She would spend hours each night after finishing her day working as a teacher for an online high school crafting sentences, outlining story plots and developing characters while the rest of her family slept.

"I started to write a little bit and found it was fun and interesting," she said. "It stretched me as a person."

Once she finished, Bryant sent out the manuscript to publishers. Rejection letters came back. Still, she pressed on, using each rejection letter, some with suggestions, as an opportunity to tweak her manuscript.

"You develop thick skin and take it as an opportunity to get better," Bryant said on a recent afternoon in the living room of the La Habra home she shares with her husband, Kurt, and two sons, Jake, 5, and Kaden, 2. "I took their feedback. I joined a few writing groups. I decided, 'OK, if I'm really going to pursue this, I need to take it more seriously.'"

Then, on an August afternoon last year, came the email she had worked so hard to see: Her manuscript had been accepted by an Orange County publishing firm.

"I cried and I cried," she said. "I called my mom. We cried together."

Kristin Bryant's debut novel, "The Others," is slated to be released in August by Sourced Media Books.

But soon after navigating the yearlong path to get her novel published, she faced a new kind of journey altogether.

In February, Bryant was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. In March, she had a double mastectomy. And in April, she had her first chemotherapy session.

She will continue her treatments through the next four months. The four-hour sessions at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton are once every three weeks.

Bryant said she is prepared to lose her hair and to endure the months of sickness ahead while she recovers from chemotherapy.

"It really is about picking up the pieces and getting stronger every day," she said a few days after her first chemotherapy session.

Bryant hopes to complete her treatment by August – the same month she will celebrate her 10-year wedding anniversary and the release of "The Others."

"It's nice to have the book to look forward to while I'm going through all the other stuff," she said.

Bryant has stayed overwhelmingly positive – first through the challenges of writing and publishing a novel and then with her cancer diagnosis, family and friends said.

"She never ceases to amaze me with the things she does," Kurt Bryant said. "When she told me she wanted to write I book, I thought, 'If anyone is going to be able to write a book, it is Kristin.'"

The Christian-themed science fiction novel is geared toward young adult readers. It's about a young man, Ryen, who fights corruption, falls in love and searches for divine help on his quest to save the crumbling planet.

"It's a sci-fi romance meant for young adults," she said. "There's not a lot of material out there you can give to your teenager and say there's no inappropriate material in it. Hopefully it will help get teenagers interested in reading."

Kristin Bryant has been candid about her cancer diagnosis, sharing with friends and family her fears, struggles and victories.

"She has done amazingly well. She is willing to fight, and she has done everything to combat it," her mother-in-law, Roberta, said.

Bryant said her Mormon religion has played an important role in dealing with her diagnosis and recovery. She said the past few months have taught her to appreciate life more.

"I'm taking this opportunity to learn from it," she said. "Learn how to lean on other people and to be more grateful for my kids. Learn to live life a little more full because now I have that reminder that life is often fleeting. You can't take your health for granted. You have to be grateful for every single day."

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